Judd
by Edward Squidman
Summary: Inkopolis' favourite feline has a story of his own. I would guess it goes a little something like this... (if you haven't read my brother Allan's Splatoon fanfic called "We're History" yet please read that first as the two stories intertwine)
1. Beginnings

The first thing the kitten knew was Warmth

The kitten liked the Warmth. The Warmth was soft and comfy and made sleeping heavenly. Somehow the kitten knew he came from the warmth. Before the kitten even realised he came from anywhere, in his heart he knew he came from the Warmth. The kitten knew equally well that the warmth loved him very much.

The kitten could not yet see or hear. All he knew was touch.

Very soon the kitten learned the warmth had a smell. Whenever the kitten could not feel the warmth he could simply sniff the air and immediately know in which direction he needed to paddle his weak little limbs in order to feel the warmth again

Equally soon the kitten learned that the warmth had a taste. Whenever the kitten felt empty and weak he just needed to find the Warmth and he would have all his little heart desired.

Later the kitten learned he had a voice. Whenever he could not smell the warmth he could call out, and the Warmth would quickly come back.

When the kitten had all his little heart desired he would purr the way kittens do. Sometimes the Warmth would purr back at him and that made the kitten feel like he was just as dear to the Warmth as the Warmth was to him.

Soon the kitten learned that there were others like him who sought the warmth as much as he did. Other kittens. Sometimes he would push the other kittens away in his pursuit of the Warmth, other times the other kittens would push him away. But there was always plenty of Warmth for everyone

Sometimes the warmth would go away. The Warmth always came back.

Then one day something big changed. The kitten grew aware of a little white dot. A little white dot that made him aware that everything that wasn't the little white dot was darkness. But the darkness did not bother the kitten. Up until now the kitten had lived his entire life with his eyes closed and he had gotten along fine. The darkness had no meaning. It was the little white dot was new. New and exciting.

The little white dot grew and became a whole new sense. The kitten could now see the things it could previously only hear, smell or taste. And there was something else: the kitten could also hear the things it could not see. The other kittens had round, furry little faces. Two big eyes, two big ears, a little stump of a nose and a small furry mouth. The kitten figured that he, too, probably had a face.

The Warmth had a face as well. It was like the other kittens but a little different. It was sleek and smooth and beautiful. And the warmth had a name: Mommy. Mommy and her kittens lived in an alley next to a supermarket. There were always plenty of rats, mice and smaller animals so Mommy never went hungry. And because Mommy never went hungry, the kittens never went hungry, either.

If the kitten had a name, it was probably "Favourite" – that was how Mommy made him feel. That was how Mommy made all her kittens feel. Each kitten was Mommy's only, extra special little kitten, and Mommy was all the kittens needed. It should have stayed that way forever.

But it could not stay that way forever: When the kittens grew bigger, mommy did not, and Mommy was no longer all the kittens needed: The time had come for Mommy to teach the kittens how to hunt.

The other kittens got the hang of it quickly. Their limbs were short but powerful and they could easily pounce small insects and lizards. They always had enough to eat. But it was not that easy for the kitten. His little body was round and heavy and his limbs were thin. He always snatched his prey a split second too late. But Mommy was patient, and she did not mind hunting a little bit extra so the kitten also had food. She knew the kitten would eventually find his hunting legs. Eventually. As the other kittens became fierce little hunters, they soon went their separate ways, but the Kitten was not ready. Not yet.

Then one day something even bigger changed.

The kitten heard a faint scratch behind a rubbish bin and peered around it to see the perfect mouse. The mouse was fat and bulky. The kitten knew this mouse would not get away easily. This was the kitten's chance to make his first success of hunting. He lowered his head, took aim, loosened his limbs, and pounced with all his might, straight toward the unsuspecting mouse. This time, the Kitten would catch something for certain.

Again the kitten was a split second too late, and again Mommy had been watching all along. She flashed her son a loving glance and gave chase. Out of the alley, across the street, a short distance down a different alley.

The kitten could hear Mommy catch the mouse.

The kitten could smell Mommy coming back

The kitten could hear and smell something else. It was big and loud and foul

And very fast

The kitten could no longer smell Mommy, and she never came back with the mouse.

The kitten waited and waited, expecting the familiar scent of the Warmth to return to his little nostrils. Deep inside he knew something awful had happened and he would never see her again, but he still waited for her to come back.

The Warmth always came back.

The kitten waited. He grew very hungry, and very lonely. He called and then he waited some more. He grew very weak.

And then the kitten lay down.


	2. The Rescue

"Aren't you just the cutest little thing!"

The kitten felt himself being lifted, but not in the way Mommy used to lift him. This new mouth took him around the forelegs and the base of his tail. It wasn't a mouth at all. It was soft and warm. Not soft and warm like Mommy was, but equally gentle. The kitten opened his eyes and they met a kindly old woman looking back at him.

"Look at your fur. A little bow-tie and some trousers with suspenders. What are the odds? And you've even got a tiny whistle sticking out of your mouth. How adorable! You look just like a fluffy little referee."

The kitten could feel life returning to his body just because someone loved him again.

"You poor thing! You're just skin and bones. You're all alone out here, aren't you? Where's your mommy?"

The kitten managed a squeaky mew.

"There, there. Don't you worry. Everything will be all right. I'll take you home and get you warm and fed."

At the old woman's house the kitten ate fish and drank milk until he felt like he would burst. He lay on a soft pillow purring with delight as his kindly rescuer stroked his head.

"Doesn't that feel better? You don't have to go hungry ever again." The woman smiled "My son needs a friend, and I think the two of you will get along wonderfully."

Sure enough, the kitten soon found himself inside a small cardboard box. He slept quietly as the woman carried him to his new home.

"Happy birthday, son!"

"Mom, you shouldn't have. But my birthday's not until next week…"

"I know, but this present can't wait until then. Go on, open it."

The kitten felt his box move and light poured in from above. He poked his head out to see what was happening.

"Mom, he's beautiful." A man wearing a pair of glasses took him into his arms, stroking the kitten's back with small wrist movements. "Look at his adorable fur! Where did you find him?"

"In the alley next to the supermarket," his mother replied. "The poor blighter nearly bit the dust!"

"Who would abandon an adorable little thing like this?" the man wondered.

"I think he lost his family," his mother ventured.

The man continued to admire the small creature and his unusual fur pattern. "I think I'll call you Little Judgey" he said at last to the purring bundle in his arms.

"How are you, Jordan?" the woman said after some silence.

"I'm fine, mom," he said plainly.

"I worry about you, son."

"I'm fine, mom," he said again, "really. I've got my work. In fact I think I'm on the verge of a breakthrough."

"That's what you said last month," his mother retorted.

"I'll be OK," Jordan insisted.

The mother and son exchanged further pleasantries until it was time for her to leave. Jordan waved as she drove off and took Little Judgey back into the house.

The first thing the kitten did was explore his new home. It looked lived in but unkempt. Dishes were piled up in the sink, take away boxes were piled in the rubbish bin, and research papers were piled on the desk. His new owner's bed wasn't made and all his curtains were still drawn despite the day having worn well into the afternoon.

Beside the bed was a cabinet on which stood single framed photograph that lay faced down.

In the days that followed Little Judgey lived happily enough for a kitten that had nearly starved, receiving a meal with a complimentary pat on the head twice a day. He quickly became big and plump. Little Judgey soon became Judge on account of not staying very little, and Judge soon became Judd on account of being easier to say. Whenever Jordan watched television Judd would snuggle up next to him on the couch and enjoy constant strokes on the neck. Whenever Jordan slept Judd would snuggle up by his feet and enjoy a warm bed. But other than that they didn't do much and soon the kitten's curious nature compelled him to find something interesting.

On the far side of the kitchen was a back door, and a short ways out the back door was a small outside room that had been converted into a laboratory. As Judd walked into the laboratory he saw something that all cats love: A desk. He jumped onto it and surveyed this new region from his higher vantage point. From up high he saw something that cats love even more: a box. And it was within his jumping range! Without thinking twice the plump kitten launched himself off his perch and landed in the box dead center. He had braced his paws for the floor of the box but his landing was unexpectedly soft. It barely felt like he landed on anything at all. He tried to walk but hung in place. He panicked and started thrashing.

"Judd?" Jordan suddenly realised he could no longer hear Judd's irregular movements in the house and thought it a good idea to look for him.

"Ju-udd!"

"Maow!" The unusually low meow sounded distressed.

"The lab!" A series of unpleasant scenarios played out in Jordan's mind, involving damage to expensive equipment, harm to Judd or both. He raced out the back door and into the small back yard room, but Judd was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are you, big guy?"

"Maaaow!"

Finally Judd's paw found something solid: the wall of the box. He stuck out his claws and hoisted himself with all his might. Judd's unbalanced weight toppled the box and it spilled its contents all over the floor, along with an alarmed kitten loaded with static, caked in Styrofoam pellets, and looking somewhat displeased but also a little relieved. Jordan cracked a smile, let out a chuckle and then sank to his knees as he burst out laughing. Tears streamed down his face as he laughed with intermittent sobs, his smile as broad as it could go. He laughed and cried all at once for almost a minute and a half before finally coming to his feet. He reached for a nearby dry wipe dispenser, dabbed his tears and blew his nose. His laughter subsided into a few more chuckles before he calmed down completely, but his smile remained. He picked up the silly kitty cat and brushed off the Styrofoam with his free hand.

"Thank you" Jordan said and gave Judd a tight hug.

In the days that followed everything was different. The piled up dishes were washed and packed away and the piled up take-away boxes were thrown out. Jordan and Judd were nearly inseparable and did almost everything together. At a nearby shopping mall they ducked into a photo booth to have some pictures taken. Jordan started making his bed again and the picture frame no longer lay faced down: it now held one of the photographs from the booth.

Bit by bit the house grew tidy again. Curtains were opened letting sunlight back in and surfaces were dusted. Finally Jordan could procrastinate no longer: It was time to sort out the desk.

He started by sorting the pages into groups according to their purpose and the information they contained. Ten minutes in a figure caught his eye and he froze. He dug around for a page he had a moment earlier, penciled the figure into an equation and evaluated it anew. He repeated the evaluation a few times and after getting the same result with each attempt he circled the result in red, dropped everything and ran to find his cellphone.


	3. Cassandra Man

Jordan had been on the phone for most of the day

"I'm being **dead** serious!" Jordan said into the phone he clenched between his shoulder and ear while he poured Judd's dinner "If we don't do something right now this whole continent will be underwater in three months!"

…

"I'm not being paranoid! Listen to me, all right, I'm a scientist! I did the calculation many times over. Based on the current-" he gave an exasperated sigh as the voice on the other side interrupted him.

…

"I am NOT exaggerating and I do NOT hug trees!" Jordan was quickly losing his patience "The numbers don't lie! This is about more than merely saving the-"

The obnoxious voice on the other side spoke again.

"Don't think you can ostrich this away! If you don't listen to me so help me I'll inform the public. I have a friend at the paper who owes me a fav-" Jordan held the phone away from his ear as an abhorrent laugh bellowed from the earpiece. Finally he lost it.

"OK, now you listen to me! If you think people are going to lie down and die while you stuff- Hello? **Hello!?** "

Jordan had to restrain himself to keep from throwing his phone. He took a deep breath and counted to twenty. He took his phone in his hand again and dialed a different number.

"Hello, Neil? It's Jordan. Remember that favour you owe me..?"

The next morning Neil was at Jordan's house. They were seated at the table having coffee and Neil was skimming through Jordan's research.

"You're absolutely certain?" the journalist asked.

"I'm 100% positive," Jordan assured. "They won't listen to me, but maybe if I could get some of the public behind me…" Judd had jumped on the table and Jordan was stroking his head.

"If this is going on the front page I'm going to need a picture of you, but I left my camera in my car. Will you mind if I run and fetch it?"

"No need," Jordan said "I should have one lying around."

Jordan kept a box of photographs in his bedroom. He was digging through them when Neil's eye caught the frame by the bedside.

"This one's adorable!" he exclaimed. "It would be perfect for winning extra sympathy with the masses. Can I use it?"

"Hang on" Jordan replied, "I have a copy of it here somewhere." He dug through the photographs and quickly found the one he was looking for. "Here you go."

The two friends shook hands as they said their goodbyes and Neil drove off. Jordan took Judd back into the house.

Jordan was up early the next morning and eagerly waited for the day's newspaper to be delivered. Once Jordan heard the newspaper delivery boy's bicycle go past his house he lifted Judd off his lap and stood up from the table to go outside.

"Well, Judd, are you ready to make the front page?" he asked the chubby feline.

"Mrrow." Judd responded

Jordan came back inside carrying the paper and looking confused. On the front page was an article about a local celebrity who had tripped on the Red Carpet. The scientist feverishly flicked through the newspaper until finally he found his photograph as part of a tiny article at the bottom-right corner of page fourteen, surrounded by advertisements for dog food and denture glue:

"Though academic circles warn of rising sea levels, the policy makers pay them no heed. At this rate, human civilisation may end up buried beneath the waves. Will even this furry fellow be consumed by the raging ocean?"

Jordan picked up his phone again.

"I'm sorry, Jordan. I did everything I could but the people in charge just wouldn't listen. I'm afraid that's how it goes around here: the policy makers don't listen to the media, it's the other way round."

As Jordan was reading the article a fourth time, Judd jumped on the table and sat down on the paper. He gave the scientist a confused look and started to purr as Jordan scratched under his chin.

"Well, big guy," he said after a moment of reflection, "Looks like we're jumping ship."

Jordan had every intention of continuing his fight, but one thing was certain: He didn't have time to do it on his home continent. In the weeks that followed Jordan got his affairs in order to immigrate to a continent that had more time, and he intended to take everything he held dear with him. As more and more documents were filled out and possessions were piled into boxes everything was going smoothly until…

"What do you mean I can't take my cat with me?"

It seemed to Judd that Jordan's cellphone only ever gave him bad news

"Two months ago you assured me everything would be fine. My flight leaves in a week and now you tell me they won't allow him on the plane?"

"Foreign diseases? I told you he's had all his shots."

"No. Just my mother and I'm taking her with me."

"Is there nothing you can do? Please! I don't care what it costs."

"Thank you. Please do."

"Let me know"

Jordan put his phone down and his head sank into his palms. Promises like "I'll see what I can do" never guaranteed anything.

He sat moping until Judd jumped on his lap and brushed his head against the scientist's chin.

"Don't worry, Judd. I won't let you drown. I'll think of something." He said finally.

"Judd! Breakfast!"

It was just under a week later and Judd awoke to the familiar sound of his human's voice. It seemed a bit odd that he was being fed before the sun was even up, but Judd always welcomed a bowl of his favourite nibbles. He thundered down the hall and into the kitchen, but the bowl of food was nowhere to be seen. He stood in bewilderment for a moment.

"Judd! Come and get it!"

Jordan's voice was coming from outside, in the direction of the laboratory. Judd did a brisk walk to the room in the back yard. Sure enough, Jordan was there, and the filled up food bowl was standing on the floor of a strange looking capsule with a single door that hung open.

"Eat your food, Judd." Jordan said hoarsely, his eyes welling up with tears.

Judd laid a paw on the floor of the capsule and sniffed at it suspiciously. "Mrrow?" He turned his confused expression toward Jordan who squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed.

"Come on, kitty. It's your favourite" he said weakly and reached down to rattle the pellets in the bowl – this never failed to capture Judd's attention.

Judd stepped into the capsule and began to eat when the door closed behind him. There was a small slot near the top of the capsule and Judd reared up to try and see out of it, but it was only just too high.

Jordan had entered "10'000" into a keypad when he saw the cat's little ears through the narrow window in the capsule. For a moment his will forsook him so he grabbed a camera and took a picture of what would be the last time he saw Judd. "I'm sorry, Little Judgey" he said before drawing a deep breath and going back to the controls.

A strange smell filled the inside of the capsule. Judd calmed down and drifted into a deep slumber.

Jordan somberly loaded his bags into the car and left for the airport.


	4. The Molusc Era

**THUD!**

Judd's ears twitched at the sound of a shark-skinned taiko-drum.

The capsule had washed up on a shore moments before its timer expired and its door swung open. Judd was lying on his stomach in the warm sand and was slowly waking up.

 **THUD!**

Judd's ears twitched again. Besides the drum, the ambient sound was giving him dreams of a day on a slightly crowded beach in his shallow slumber.

 **THUD!**

With every beat of the drum Judd's ears would twitch again.

 **THUD!**

 **THUD!**

 **THUD!**

 **THUD!**

 **THUD!**

The sound of a plucked string rang through the salty air and Judd's nose started twitching. Soon after that his paws started moving at the sound of flutes. At the sound of clapping his eyes slowly began to open and by the time the singing had begun Judd was wide awake, on his feet, dancing!

 _Hail to the waters  
From whence we came  
And thanks to the sea  
To which we can't return  
Sing to the ocean depth just in case it hears us  
We owe everything we have to it_

 _Life  
And peace  
Our land  
The comfort of our homes  
Our roots  
And everything we own  
Our minds  
Our hearts  
The love they hold to share with one another  
Our families  
Our friends as well  
It all came from the sea_

If the creatures singing in canon on the beach had ever seen a cat before they would have known the sight of one dancing was unusual, but their music awakened something within Judd and he couldn't help himself. Once the music had stopped Judd walked up to the creatures who looked at him welcomingly.

"I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?" Judd meowed.

"We get all our food from the sea." One of the creatures replied. "Do you like fish?"

"You can understand me?" Judd was surprised. Previously people understood well enough if he was hungry or thirsty but they didn't fathom his words precisely.

"Of course," the creature answered "You don't speak Inklish but your language is easy enough to understand. What sort of creature are you, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I'm a cat." Judd replied. "What do you call yourselves?"

"We are the Inklings." The creature bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, cat. Do you have a name?"

"They call me Judd" Much like Jordan could not understand Judd, Judd could not understand Jordan, but he knew well enough when his name was spoken. "Have any of you seen my human?"

"Human?" the creature looked puzzled "I don't believe I know what a human is. Where did you come from?"

Judd paused for a moment trying to remember the events right before he started dancing "I was… he was…" he looked around and saw his capsule. "There! He put me in that!"

The cat and the inkling took a quick walk toward the capsule and inspected it. The inkling found a folded up piece of paper inside. He unfolded it and squinted at the strange writing.

"This is a little more complex than Cat," he said, "but not to worry. I know a decipherer. Come with me."

En route to the decipherer, the Inkling introduced himself as Phigmund. He seemed to have the body of a human and the head of something Judd wouldn't think twice about eating. The inkling hadn't forgotten that Judd had asked for food and took a fish wrapped in a sort of parchment from his bag. Noticing Judd walked on all fours and could not take it, he tore a bit at a time from the fish and fed it to the cat as they walked. When they reached the decipherer's cave the Inkling went in first and presented Judd as he entered.

"This is Judd" he said as the curious cat walked through the entrance, "He's a cat and he lost his human. We believe this code might be a trace of him. You can decipher it, can't you?"

Like Inklings were surprisingly apt at understanding a simple language just by hearing it, decipherers could understand texts quite easily even if they had never laid eyes on it before.

The old inkling stroked his long facial tentacles with his fingers as he studied the paper carefully. "This creature is Judd, did you say? This text is a message for him."

"It must be from my human!" Judd exclaimed, eager to hear more.  
"It seems he did not wish to place you inside that capsule but he had no choice," based on what else was written the decipherer considered this most important and decided to lead with it. "I can tell he was putting it off for as long as he could."  
"What else does it say?" Judd insisted "Does it say where he is?"  
"I'm sorry," the decipherer said with genuine sympathy. "It says the capsule held you sealed in a sort of stasis for ten thousand years. I'm afraid your human is long gone. But in his last message to you he wished you all the best. I hope that can be of some consolation to you. It's obvious you were very dear to each other"

Judd walked quietly through the beautiful beach landscapes in a bittersweet haze, obliviously admiring what ten short millennia without humankind did for the planet. He had been too young to fully understand what was happening on the day he lost Mommy, and barely had any memory of her at all. But Jordan was the caretaker he knew all his life. The cat and the human were inseparable. Judd remembered how busy Jordan was in the last days before the capsule, and realised that however the human had met his end, his efforts were all geared toward saving Judd from the same fate. As much as Judd was saddened by his loss of Jordan, he knew that Jordan saved him because he adored his little kitty cat, and that made Judd feel a bit better.

As Judd walked he came by some Inklings running around a bit of solid ground. They carried some primitive-looking squirt guns which they used to ink the ground, some blue and some pink. Phigmund and some other Inklings were standing by – each holding a short wooden stick – and another inkling was holding an hourglass and a seashell.

"What's going on here?" Judd asked Phigmund, "Some sort of turf war?"  
The Inkling was visually impressed by Judd's immediate understanding of the custom "How could you tell it's a turf war?" he asked.  
"It's obvious," Judd said plainly, "You're just like cats. You mark your territory by leaving your scent on it."  
"Our colour, actually" Phigmund corrected.  
"Really?" Judd retorted "Using the scent would have been much more effective. The two colours' scents are really distinct."

Once the hourglass had finished running the Inkling holding it blew on the shell and the inking stopped. The ones holding the squirt guns ran off the field and the ones holding the sticks took their place, using the sticks to measure the inked turf. Judd ran alongside Phigmund as he hurriedly counted stick-lengths in his head.

"What's happening now?" the curious cat wanted to know  
"We need to measure the turf inked before the ink disappears or we won't know who won."  
"Pink won." The cat said effortlessly. "The scent is quite unmistakable."

The inklings were so used to the routine of 'Ink, measure, report, count, announce' that Phigmund felt a bit nervous about accepting Judd's verdict just like that. Sure enough when the eventual result confirmed it Phigmund had a word with the judge and Judd was called in to have his abilities tested.

Judd proved time and again that his keen feline nose was the best judge of a turf war the Inklings had ever seen. What previously required the combined efforts of nine or ten Inklings was done easily by one cat in barely ten seconds. The turf judges, counters and measurers were overjoyed that they were finally allowed to join in the turf wars and a new era for Inkling kind had begun.

The cat spent so much time running from turf war to turf war that he quickly shed his extra pounds despite how well he ate. He was well loved by everyone and for the first time in his long cat life he felt not merely cared for, but like someone with a purpose. The years wore on and he eventually grew so old that he was often waited for when his verdict was needed. All the inklings realised that Judd's inevitable passing would deal them a great loss. Judd, too, was saddened that he would have to leave all the friends he had made, and that the improvement he had made on all of their lives was destined to be but a fleeting one.

Everything changed when a stranger arrived. An Inkling from a distant land who was curious about this place and its famous "efficient battle system". The moment he met Judd his eyes went the size of clam shells

"Judd? Your name is Judd?" he said in bewilderment "Does the name 'Jordan' mean anything to you?"


	5. Judd's Eternal Destiny

"Did you say Jordan?"

Judd's eyes had stretched to match those of the stranger, and both of them were equally astonished at Fate's latest move.

"Back in my home country we found an ancient note from someone named Jordan. It was addressed to someone named Judd. I never imagined I would find this Judd in my travels"  
"You have a message from Jordan? I should very much like to see it." Judd said desperately.  
"You're in luck," the stranger said with a smile. "It's the riddle of the century back home. Many of us carry a transcription of the message in Inklish in case we find a clue to help us solve it. I believe you to be the biggest clue anyone is likely to find." He took a bag from his shoulder and dug around until he found his copy of the "riddle".

 _To my dearest Judd_

 _I hope this message finds you well. Or at all._

 _My efforts to rescue the human race from the rising sea levels have turned out to be fruitless. I have abandoned my work and sought a legacy elsewhere. Ironically my search has led me to the discovery of the secret to eternal youth. This will be of no use to anyone of my time since we are all doomed to a watery grave, and although the formula makes sense implementing it seems to require nothing short of magic. I have decided to leave the secret in this time capsule for you, in the hope that the future might hold a way of putting it to use._

 _You are my legacy, Judd. I entrust all that remains of me to you. I wish you all the best._

 _Your eternal friend_

 _Jordan_

Underneath the text of the note was a formula that had been copied down meticulously.

"I don't see how it's a riddle" Judd remarked, more astonished to have received a message from Jordan than about talks of eternal youth, "It's just a letter from a human to his best friend"

"It's the formula" the stranger explained "Whatever setbacks Jordan was having, our mystics are able to surmount them without a hitch. It just doesn't seem to fit us. Like our fibers are the wrong… shape." This was the best way to describe the problem anyone could think of.

"Could Judd be the last piece of the puzzle?" Phigmund ventured

"That's what we believe" the other inkling answered. "Do you have a mystic? Perhaps if we brought Judd and the formula together before one…"

Inkling mystics were a bit like scientists, but their capabilities surpassed their own understanding. From ancient times they were few and dwindling in number. The last mystic would scarcely outlive Phigmund.

Sure enough, Judd was brought to a local mystic along with the formula. Like the decipherer had done previously, the mystic studied the note from Jordan before taking a long hard look at Judd and finally speaking.

"I see. It all makes sense. I can tell why he could not implement it, and I can tell why it did not work on any inklings." He paused. "You, on the other hand, are a precise fit for this formula. It will work perfectly, but I'll need to make a few adjustments. Your physical appearance will change, but only a little bit. If you are prepared to undergo this procedure I will be willing to put it into motion."

Judd gave it a lot of thought in a small amount of time. He was the last cat and once he was gone there would be no memory left of Jordan. The Inklings needed his help, and he enjoyed helping them. He would not become unable to die, merely unable to die of age. Finally he decided he would accept Jordan's gift.

"Do it." He said to the mystic.

"Very well", the mystic said and gestured toward a flat boulder in his cave. "Have a seat."

Judd opened his eyes

He stood up effortlessly. His joints moved more smoothly than they had in years. He jumped from his rocky perch and met with his old friend Phigmund.

"Looks like it worked" the mystic said behind him.

"Judd's immortal now?" Phigmund asked.

"Not entirely," the Mystic explained, "he can still die like anyone else. Just not from old age."

Judd looked down at his legs. "You said it would change the way I look," he said, "I don't see any difference"

"Your tail." Phigmund remarked

Indeed, Judd's tail now had a tip like an arrow. "This will signify your connection to all of squidkind," The mystic said almost ceremoniously. "How do you feel?"

"I feel at least fifty cat-years younger!" Judd exclaimed enthusiastically. "I want to go judge some turf wars!"

Judd sprinted from the cave, calling out a 'thank-you' behind him as he ran. He quickly reached the spot where he had judged his first turf war. It just so happened that some inklings were there and they stared at Judd in astonishment.

"Judd?" said a young Inkling woman among them, noticing the cat suddenly looked youthful again. "What happened?"

"Let's just say an old friend did me one last big favour" the cat answered gleefully, and signaled the start of the match.

As it goes with the aged, Judd seemed to recall that his youthful body was tireless. He sprinted from turf war to turf war like he had limitless energy and eventually learned it not to be the case when he finally collapsed onto his bed at the end of the day.

When Judd's eyes opened the next morning it was almost afternoon. This was not a problem for anyone since Inklings always slept in anyway. Soon after a late breakfast he went to the plains where he met with some early risers – by inkling standards – and the first turf war of the day was underway. Toward the evening he judged a turf war that unsportsmanlike inklings might have said were biased because Judd's best friend was on the winning team. In reality Phigmund gave it his all because it was his last turf war: Unlike Judd he was not eternally youthful and the time had come for him to retire. That night he hosted a banquet and invited his favourite allies, opponents and, of course, referee. There was laughter, tears and the unavoidable bout of singing. Judd once again found himself dancing his heart out to the mysterious Inkling music.

Partway through the last song the music stopped abruptly and Judd noticed that everyone was looking at him. He, too, noticed that something felt out of place. Because his tail was heavier at the end Judd was now able to stand, walk and even dance on his hind legs and he had been doing so for the past half-minute without even noticing. Everyone had a minor chuckle at the sight and the party continued.

As Judd continued his turf war judging he soon discovered he could grip things with his front paws since they were no longer needed for standing. Using flags made his announcing duties much easier and it wasn't long until he wondered how he ever managed without them, much like the inklings wondered how they ever had turf wars without Judd.

In the centuries that followed many friends like Phigmund came and went, each one sorely missed when the time came for their inevitable passing. Judd eventually learned to take grief in his stride and was a more cheerful cat for it. Death was a part of life and coming to terms with it was easier than Judd expected. He never forgot any of his friends, he merely accepted that life was short for them and he was better off making the best of the time he had with them.

As the ages passed the Inklings changed, looking more and more human with time. Somewhere along the way they met the Octarians, a similar specie of human like creatures but with a superior intellect and greater diversity in appearance.

The inklings learned by watching the Octarians and made some improvements to their own weapons, though their progress was nowhere near as rapid. Nonetheless, the inklings and Octarians were mostly at peace with one another

But that was to change soon, along with the planet itself.


	6. The Great Turf War

Although volcanic activity had forced some landmasses out of the water which allowed the inklings and Octarians to adapt to life on land in the first place, the polar ice caps were not done melting. Therefore the sea levels were not done rising. As space grew little tempers grew short, and so the inevitable Great Turf War erupted. Not a simple sport of which-team-inks-most, but a full-on, all-out war between Inkling and Octarian. Every capable inkling was recruited for the army and assigned to a Splatoon. In the tradition of the ancient turf wars each Splatoon consisted of four members. The most capable member of a Splatoon was made captain, and the inklings built a stronghold in the most secluded, strategic location they could find.

The determined Octarian army marched bravely across the seemingly infinite green plains as the sun poked its fiery head out behind the horizon. Octotroopers – some with shields and some without – rode their cruisers ahead of the army with Octocopters and Octobombers flying overhead. Octoballs and Octostamps were carried in large, wheeled, cruiser-drawn containers and the Octosnipers brought up the rear. In the middle of the formation were the Octolings; the most advanced and aggressive section of the army, carrying their superior Octarian weapons. They marched in double-time as they still had a ways to go until they reached the battlefield, and before long a small hill appeared in the distance.

"Look alive, troops!" a high-ranking officer called out. "Beyond that hill lies our battlefield. We win this fight and these plains are ours, the first step in securing a swift victory!"

A young, low-ranking octoling looked down at his octoshot and swallowed. This was not sport, but war. Was he really expected to be ruthless? To raise his weapon in anger for the sake of his people? What did the other side do wrong? What if he had a friend among them? Would the "Us or Them" mantra be strong enough to guide his hand into pulling the trigger when his friend was at the other end of his shooter?

The octoling marching beside him felt nothing like this. He could not wait to see the lazy squidfolk burst in clouds of ink and watch their wisps float weakly back to their base before they came back for more

Roughly two hundred paces from the foot of the hill the officer raised his hands and cupped them around his mouth. "CHAAAARGE!" he roared as the entire army instantly broke into a run without breaking formation. Beyond the hill they descended into a patch of morning fog and all at once they raised their weapons, ready to fire at…

…nothing. Besides the charging Octarian forces the entire plain was deserted. They stopped running and turned to their commander, ready to hear the order in this unexpected circumstance.

"I guess… this means we win, soldiers!" The Octarians threw up their weapons and cheered. If the rest of the war was going to be this easy, it was going to be a short war indeed.

A few hours later, miles away, a pair of black-circled eyes slowly opened and squinted in the late-morning light. _What were we supposed to do today?_ The young inking asked himself before springing upright.

"Troops!? **TROOPS!** " he called out as he struggled clumsily into his uniform. "The war! It begins today!"

The inklings scrambled to get ready and awkwardly divided up into their Splatoons. They raced across the plain at triple pace as if it would make up for lost time even though they were already several hours late. A mile or so from their would-be battlefield the Octarian ink started flying as the snipers began picking off the exhausted intruders one by one. Soon afterward a siren sounded and the Octarian forces began to pour across the grasslands like a swarm of locusts. Without needing to be ordered the inklings that were still on their feet turned and fled back to their stronghold.

"We just had a bad start" a high-ranking Inkling said back in the stronghold once everyone had calmed down. "I think we should all get some rest. It will be better in the morning."

It wasn't. The following day was basically a repeat of the previous, with yet another late start, yet another disorganized march, yet another crushing defeat, and yet another territory going to the Octarians.

The day after that was no better, and neither was the next. The Octarians were winning battle after battle and their camps were springing up everywhere. It was not until a month into the war the inklings realised they would have to – as they say – "get serious" or their very stronghold would be compromised. Soldiers needed proper training, captains needed accountability, each Splatoon needed to learn how to work as a unit, and most importantly, the Inklings needed to learn how to wake up early. Unfortunately this alone would not be enough to turn the tide as the Octarians already had several additional advantages.

Somewhere in the higher ranks the idea was hatched to begin with a special, secret program to identify soldiers that possessed an extraordinary degree of natural talent or special capabilities and develop a special taskforce for strategic small-scale operations. Since this was all done in secret the program was somewhat of a legend among the inkling troops. As there was no paperwork on the project for the sake of secrecy everything was done by word of mouth and as a result the operation was designated the codename "Squidbeak".

What the inkling army lacked in intellect they made up for with associations and recruited jellyfish, horseshoe crabs, sea urchins, and of course, a cat.

"Your ink-sensing is really something" it had not been long until Judd was noticed by a superior.

"Thank you, sir." Judd said with soldierly humility.

"I'm not just here to dish out compliments, private." The officer continued. "I want to assign you to an elite Splatoon consisting of our best fighters. You would provide a massive advantage in both battle and stealth settings"

Judd felt honoured and accepted without a moment's hesitation. It was not long until he met the rest of the fabled team:

Ammoni Shellendorf was a horseshoe crab who was not only a capable shooter but something of a weapons expert and a full-on genius.

Sepius was a young inkling man with keen eyes and a superb aim. He liked to think of himself as his captain's unofficial apprentice.

Cuttlefish was a seasoned fighter with a profound understanding of Octoling mentality and legendary strategic prowess. Not surprisingly he was the captain of the Splatoon.

The feats of the Squidbeak Splatoon were so great that even though their existence was officially denied they were no secret. It wasn't long until everyone knew exactly who they were. They had become a legend in their own time and were admired by young and old alike. With the added talents of Judd the Cat they were practically unstoppable as long as they kept their heads down and their minds focused.

The Inkling army quickly made up most of the ground it had lost early in the war and the Octarians took it as a sign that they too needed to double their efforts as well. They began to research the creation of enormous war machines and intensified their anti-inkling propaganda. "Us or them" was inked all over Octarian territory.

The Squidbeak Splatoon knew one another like family. It was no secret that Ammoni was working on new secret weapons, or that Judd was thousands of years old, or that Cuttlefish – who preferred to be addressed as "cap'n" rather than "captain" – had a friend in the Octarian army.

A year into the war the quartet was on a reconnaissance mission and had set up camp near one of the Octarian settlements. Cap'n Cuttlefish was tying his shoes.

"Heading out?" Judd asked with one eye open.

"I'm going to see Octavio." The Inkling replied.

Judd sat up. "I don't like this," the cat protested, "Aren't you at least taking a weapon?"

"We both agreed to come unarmed," Cuttlefish said "I trust him."

"I don't," Judd said plainly, "With all due respect, Cap'n, we ARE at war."

"Octavio might be our only shot at peace." The captain argued "I'll get him to join us. You'll see," he added as he walked off.

When Cap'n Cuttlefish came back a few minutes later not with Octavio but instead with a young Inkling Girl named Callie-Marie who had saved his life, Judd thought it better to look away and pretend not to listen instead of saying "I told you so." Nonetheless, he did not object to making her an honourary member of their Splatoon, and he was willing to help her rescue her kidnapped ally.

Once the new recruit was geared for battle she returned carrying a strange, potent looking new weapon that was almost as big as she was. It shimmered like gold and Judd could tell it packed a wallop. He was eager to see what it could do.

"Allright," Cap'n Cuttlefish said when everyone was ready to set out. "Quickest way to the prison camp is down that footpath. After you, Judd old boy."


	7. The Great Turf War Continues

A muscular octoling captain was surveying a map spread out in front of him. There were stones placed in specific locations baring labels such as "Inkling Splatoon A, 11H00, Today" and "Inkling Splatoon B, 13H00, Yesterday". He counted, measured, scribbled on a notepad and drew a line on the map as his powerful Octarian brain analyzed patterns in the enemy's movements. He made a few more calculations and drew another line which crossed with his first one. When the third line crossed in exactly the same place he began to smirk, and when the fourth one did the same he put a tack into the exact spot with an ominous, low chuckle.

"Captain Kaharoa, sir." A lower ranking soldier saluted at the entrance to his tent.

"Yes?" the captain looked up.

"Captain Octavio here to see you, sir." The soldier announced.

"Very good. Show him in." Kaharoa said with a wave of his hand and another Octoling ducked under the tent's low entrance.

"I hear you were AWOL this morning," Kaharoa began, "What will you tell the superiors if word gets to them?"

"The truth," Octavio defended, "That I went out to terminate the captain of the Squidbeak Splatoon. I got him alone and unarmed, too, but a second inkling came out of nowhere and interrupted me."

"You've really impressed the people upstairs," Kaharoa had decided to change the subject. "I hear they have started work on an extra special Octoweapon just for you."

"Is that right?" Octavio enquired, eager to hear more.

"It will be unlike any of the others," Kaharoa explained. "They may even invent a whole new rank just for its pilot. You've come a long way, Octavio," he continued. "You're not the frightened child who marched out beside me a year ago."

"Good news is welcome today," Octavio remarked with traces of a grin.

"Then how about this?" Kaharoa bragged "I found the location of the Inkling stronghold. We can deploy the octoweapons immediately"

The two octolings stood up and walked through the tent doorway where the soldier was still stationed and Kaharoa gave him an order: "I'm escorting the captain back to his camp and then I'm going to oversee the deployment of the secret weapons. Make sure no-one slacks while I'm away."

"Sir." The private saluted and walked off.

"Can't stay out _too_ long, though." he added to his fellow captain. "I need to be back here to get the power going once the big guys are rigged up."

The Squidbeak Splatoon was treading along their footpath when Judd froze in place. His whiskers twitched as he sniffed the air.

Cap'n Cuttlefish leaned closer. "What ya got there, Bucko?" he whispered.

"Ink. Octarian ink," the cat replied. "And a lot of it." He gave two more short sniffs. "It's close, but not headed for us," He said with some relief but then remarked: "I've never picked up such a large amount in one place."

"Like… a large army of Octolings?" Sepius asked. Since ink was not mass produced, the concept of transporting a massive amount of ink in one vessel did not occur to anyone naturally.

"More like an ink tank the size of a 100-year-old zapfish!"

Captain Kaharoa marveled at the octoweapons as a crowd of octotroopers pulled them across the grassy floors of the forest.

"Simply beautiful," he said uncharacteristically dreamily "How much ink do you think these things take?" he asked himself rhetorically.

"More than I would dare to guess, sir," a nearby trooper remarked as he handed him the extension cord that housed each weapon's plug.

"Go raid an enemy home or something." The captain dismissed the trooper so he wouldn't be compelled to say "thank you" or make conversation about ink capacity. As Kaharoa jogged back to camp he unrolled the cord as far as he went. This was the type of menial labour a lower ranking troop would normally have done, but the octoling's enthusiasm for the octoweapons made him want to see to their setting up personally.

Meanwhile the Squidbeak Splatoon had already arrived at the octarian camp and set their infiltration plan into motion. Cap'n Cuttlefish took out two guards and Judd was the first over the fence. As he guided his allies deep into the camp along the path where the scent of ink was faintest they reached its hub within no more than a few seconds. This was also roughly how long it took for the guards to recover and sound the intruder alert. The Splatoon bravely held their ground as three Bamboolzlers and a Dynamo Roller razed octarians as quickly as they showed up. As the troops' numbers began to dwindle Cap'n Cuttlefish's radio faintly relayed the sound of a desperate Inkling voice.

"This is Inkling Stronghold calling Squidbeak Splatoon! Cap'n Cuttlefish, do you copy?!"

"This is Cuttlefish, standing by!" the captain said into his radio as he continued to splat octarians by shooting with one hand.

Judd could not hear everything the voice on the other side was saying, but it was obvious something bad was happening at their stronghold. He shuddered as he thought back to the massive amounts of ink he sensed earlier. In his gut he knew he was about to find out where it came from.

"Get to the stronghold! I'll go get my friend!" Agent 5 (As they had decided to codename Callie-Marie) urged.

Cap'n Cuttlefish handed her his weapon, "So your friend has something to shoot his way out with," he explained and assured her: "Ammoni can give me another one on the way over". He then tipped his hat at the young woman and they were out of the camp by the same way they came in.

As they sped through the trees Judd became increasingly aware of the overwhelming scent of ink from earlier growing stronger and stronger the closer they came to the stronghold.

"Cap'n?" he panted as they ran.

"What is it, sport?" the captain asked.

"The ink I picked up a while ago… We're about to find out what it's being used for. I suggest we ready ourselves for anything."

"Right you are," he responded "Men, you heard him! Be on guard!" he said to the Splatoon as Ammoni tossed him a spare Splattershot.

Judd's superior feline hearing was the first to pick up the explosions as their desination drew near. Four gargantuan machines were laying waste to the stronghold: Crushing, spraying, steamrolling and chewing everything in sight. Soldiers were being swept in scores as they fled helplessly, their ammunition seemingly doing little more than bounce off the mechanical monsters.

"They're being swatted like flies!" Cap'n Cuttlefish said with horror clearly audible in his voice.

"It doesn't look like we can beat those… things!" Sepius pointed out.

"All the more reason to give it everything we have!" the captain said, straightening his hat before the Splatoon stormed the battlefield with all the courage they were famous for.


	8. The Great Turf War Ends

The Octoweapons were not easy to beat all at once. They seemed to have a knack for covering one another's weaknesses. Anyone who took aim at the Octostomp was quickly interrupted by a charging Octomaw, and anytime someone inked the floor in front of the Octwhirl their work was promptly undone by the Octonozzle. To make matters worse, the terrain was irregular and did not hold ink equally well everywhere which made the battle all the more unpredictable.

"Does anyone have any ideas?" asked Ammoni, who had become so desperate that he was now throwing tools at the Octostomp from his knapsack.

"Just one," Judd said. "I might not have have ink, but I have these." He bared his claws. "Give me a boost!"

The cat ran up to the horseshoe crab who lowered his head in anticipation. He vaulted off Ammoni's head and landed on top of the Octostomp which lay faced down with a single, massive Octo arm exposed. Judd scratched once with each paw, leaving two deep, crossed, green gashes in the arm. It recoiled in pain and swiped at the small cat, sending him flying. Judd would have hit the ground with greater force than his feline body could handle, had he not been caught by his Inkling ally.

"Thanks Sepius. I was a gonner for sure." He meowed.

"That seemed to do something. You should do the same to the others!" Sepius ran toward the fray with the cat in his arms. "New plan, everyone!"

The Squidbeak Splatoon did everything they could to herd the Great Octoweapons, separate them and expose the arms inside them. Each time they succeeded whoever was closest to Judd would lift him and throw him at the exposed arm. It wasn't long until each arm bore a similar x-shaped pair of incisions. Unfortunately this was as far as their luck went, since the fresh wounds stung the Octoweapons' drivers so badly that each one flew into a rage and was untouchable. Judd jumped as the Octomaw lunged at him. It landed in the dirt and Judd landed on top of it. It thrashed wildly as Judd clung to it for dear life but he was soon flung into the air and landed in Octarian ink.

"Stay there, tomcat!" Cuttlefish called as he charged, inking a path with his loaned Splattershot. He had lifted the cat and thrown him to safety before running back himself when a spray from the Octonozzle stopped him in his tracks. He stumbled and dropped his Splattershot, which sank into the Octarian ink and effectively disappeared.

The Octostomp wound up for the jump that would surely crush the helpless young war hero. Just as its powerful legs kicked into the ground an ambient hum everyone had been tuning out dropped in pitch before cutting out completely. The Octostomp – having shut down mid-jump while facing Cutttlefish – slowly fell over with a low, heavy creak. Cap'n Cuttlefish used these borrowed seconds to the best of his abilities, squirming in the Octarian ink with all his might to get away from the falling mechanical giant.

" **What do you mean plugged out?!** " Captain Kaharoa bellowed at the Octarian troops around him.

"Er… well… Captain, sir," a nearby Octotrooper dared "It seems one of us may have been a bit… um… careless…"

" **CARELESS?!** " the large Octoling was nowhere near finding his temper and the explanation did not make him any happier. "All right, which one of you nitwits did it? Own up now or zero rations for the **whole camp** tonight!"

An unbearable silence fell over the camp. Not a single troop even dared to breathe. Roughly five seconds into the quiet the sound of an approaching Octarian cruiser was heard and a carefree Octotrooper carrying a satchel rode in and approached Kaharoa. The imposing captain bared his teeth as his rage grew by the second, his hands clenching into gigantic fists and his shoulders heaving with deep, impatient breaths.

"The loot you requested, sir," the trooper said smugly as he presented the satchel to Kaharoa.

When the Octostomp finally landed in the ink everyone winced as it seemed the captain was just barely too slow. Thankfully he was out of the danger zone for the most part and the Octostomp had merely landed on his foot. Still, having your foot pinned under massive machine that was leaking enemy ink was not a pleasurable experience for anyone, least of all someone who had just exerted himself facing four such machines. The Splatoon rushed to his aid, pulling at their captain with all their might. It seemed to do little more than threaten take his foot off.

"We should dig him out." Ammoni suggested and the three of them began grabbing handfuls of loose earth around Cap'n Cuttlefish's foot.

They had not been digging long when Callie-Marie and her unnamed ally appeared in the entrance to the camp. They were just about to assist when Kaharoa, too, made an appearance, carrying a small, mobile generator which he used to bring the Octowhirl back to life. After a moment of strategy discussion running was chosen as the best course of action. The unnamed Inkling dove into the Octarian ink like it was nothing and pushed at the Octostomp with all his might, allowing the rest of the Splatoon to finally free the captain. Inkling, Horseshoe Crab and Cat alike bolted for a nearby creek – a plan that was not as easy for an inkling captain with a bruised ankle. As the Octowhirl was just about to steamroll Cuttlefish Callie-Marie turned back and noticed his peril. She rushed back and dove out of the way with him right before it was too late. Callie-Marie's ally returned the borrowed Bamboozler and Cap'n Cuttlefish was back on relatively capable feet, leaning on his weapon like a walking stick.

Moments later they reached the water and tricked the speeding war machine into rolling over the edge. Captain Kaharoa emerged to the whole of the Splatoon firing their weapons at him. It was finally over.

Callie-Marie said some tearful farewells and "thank you"s as her rescued ally went ahead, but Judd was not letting him go so easily. He could tell from the moment the mysterious Inkling walked into the camp that his ink was Octarian, and so was he. Judd scrambled up the nearest tree and silently pursued the deceiver in the branches above. What puzzled Judd most was that even though his instincts had been right about Octarians a few hours ago, they were not warning him about this seemingly friendly one in disguise.

The Inkling-looking-Octarian came to rest in a small clearing that held a strange looking metallic tent. He went inside and before long stepped out again, accompanied by two familiar looking inkling girls. Judd eavesdropped innocently as they spoke of turf wars, time travel and tranquilizer darts. Judd also picked up their names – the Octarian was named Callum and the two Inklings were named Callie and Marie. "What are the odds," Judd wondered, "that these travelers would be so similarly named?"

Judd's answer came when Callum spoke of Agent Five's brave deeds but instead called her "Bessie". These four friends were from the future. Agent Five borrowed their names so she would have a different identity in this era where she did not technically belong. And if she had saved Cap'n Cuttlefish's life twice there's no question that his children or at least _their_ children would be named after her. Knowing this allowed Judd to see the family resemblances to his captain in the two young women. Finally content that he understood all he had wondered about, he could not help but purr aloud. Everything made sense – or at least as much sense as time travel could make. Judd felt certain he would see these friends again in the future.

Back at the stronghold the Inklings figured since the Octarians had played their trump card and lost the war was as good as over, and a celebration was in order. For a week straight the inklings and their allies did nothing but celebrate. Judd ate and slept so much that he quickly reverted to his earlier, plump self.

One week later, while the party was still going on, a scent in waking life plagued Judd's sleep with nightmares about advancing Octarian forces. He awoke just as the ruckus from the celebrations had abruptly ended, looking down at an enraged pair of Octolings surrounded by scores of Octarian forces.

"The war's not over yet, Inksquirts!" Octavio said from the cockpit of his shiny new Octoweapon – the Octobot King – rigged up to the pilfered generator from a week before. The Octarian soldiers stormed the base as Octavio threw the main switch on the device and its wheels shook as it roared to life.

The Octobot King's weaponry was better suited for an aircraft, but a mobile generator could only output so much power. It threw punches from two giant metallic fists that wreaked havoc on the celebration but the Inklings were not so easily beaten. They quickly gathered their weapons and began to fire at the Octotroopers and the large battle mech, but Octavio threw a switch activating a force field and their ink bounced off hopelessly.

Frustrated that he could not connect any of his punches to the scores of Inklings Octavio pressed the button he had been warned not to press. The Octobot King's Killer Wail started up and promptly overloaded the generator's capacity. The machine's engines died down and the force field dissipated.

Just then a large cat dropped down from the rafters, claws bared, and dealt Octavio the same crossed slashes on his forearm as he had done to the Octoweapons previously. The powerful Octoling roared in pain, thrashing his limbs until eventually falling from his vehicle. Every inkling in the vicinity turned their weapons toward him and let the ink fly. All except Cap'n Cuttlefish who stepped into the line of fire spreading his arms.

"Run, Octavio!" He shouted as the ink harmlessly spattered inches from its intended target.

"You're a fool, Cuttlefish!" the Octarian snarled as he stood up and fled the stronghold.

Just then Kaharoa stepped forward. While everyone was focusing on Octavio and the lesser Octarians he was gradually inking the base, and the short Octo-arms he had for hair were glowing and billowing ominously.

"Do not think Octavio was the only one with a new toy" he said as he took a large flask from his belt. Crushing it with one hand he chugged the contents in a few large gulps, and in an instant he shifted into his Octo form, but a much larger, more powerful version dubbed the Kraken.

The giant Octo glided speedily across terrain, friendly and hostile ink alike, leaving Octo ink and splatted Inklings in his wake. Shots from the squidfolk bounced off doing no more than slowing him down.

"Stall him!" Judd called to Cap'n Cuttlefish. "And ink as much of the base as you can! I have an idea!"

He flagged down Ammoni and led him to the lifeless Octobot King. "Can you take some of it off?" he asked.

"How much of it?" Ammoni answered with his own question.

"As much as you can, as long as it still moves."

In no time at all the Octobot King's weapons were removed leaving only a relatively harmless vehicle.

"You drive. I'll navigate" Judd said urgently, leaping onto the front and sniffing the air.

The shell of the former Octobot King came back to life and, with its decreased weight, sped along Octavio's scent trail until it reached the Octarian Stronghold. Once there Judd sniffed for something else and sure enough came across a vat of liquid marked with a large menacing octopus.

"Help me tip it!" he said to Ammoni after scooping a flaskful of the liquid. The two heaved with all their might and the liquid spilled all over the porous ground and disappeared forever.

The pair rushed back to the inkling stronghold where Cap'n Cuttlefish was cornered and the monstrous Kaharoa was approaching him ominously.

" **Heads up, Cap'n** "Judd called and threw his flask at Cuttlefish.

The moment his fingers touched it his tentacle-hair began to billow as Kaharoa's did. The inkling hastily gulped down the liquid and shifted into a Kraken form of his own.

After Cuttlefish splatted what remained of the Octotroopers the two Krakens charged at each other and bashed heads. Neither of them reeled. Kaharoa extended an arm to grab Cuttlefish by the "throat", and Cuttlefish extended an arm of his own and held him at bay.

But Kaharoa was not out of limbs. He reached another arm for Cuttlefish and Cuttlefish blocked him again. This went on until all eight of Kaharoa's arms were occupied but Cuttlefish still had two tentacles left. He finally managed to subdue the Octoling Kraken using his two free limbs. Kaharoa gave in, returned to his humanoid form and was promptly taken prisoner. Judd raised a flag amid cheers from the inklings and their allies. The war was finally over.


	9. Inkopolis

Cap'n Cuttlefish was seated in front of four of his superiors.

"While we cannot ignore the fact that you have allowed an Octarian officer to escape, we also recognize that you were almost singlehandedly responsible for victory in the final struggle. Therefore your penalty will not be as severe as the standard penalty for betrayal."

"Understood, sir," Cap'n Cuttlefish responded with some relief.

"The Squidbeak Splatoon is to be immediately disbanded and is to refrain from forming again. While we cannot observe your comings and goings at all times it is important for you to note that if we catch wind of your Splatoon forming again we will see to it that it is promptly disbanded."

"What if there's an Octarian Uprising?" the Captain protested.

The Inkling superiors gave the question a moment of thought and had a brief, hushed discussion. They turned back to Cuttlefish.

"If the Octarians are to pose a threat to the Inklings again, you will be permitted to form a new Squidbeak Splatoon. But only in the greatest of secrecy," a superior answered on behalf of the four of them.

"Thank you, Cuttlefish, that will be all. The inkling army appreciates your service," a second Superior said. "Will there be anything else before you are dismissed?"

"Yes, sir," the Captain was still concerned for his friend. "What will become of the Octarians?"

The superiors glanced at one another and nodded. One of them stood up, opened a drawer and produced a large, brown envelope. He handed it to Cap'n Cuttlefish who opened it and surveyed its contents which appeared to be blueprints for something gigantic.

"Inkling businessmen, civil workers and architects are converting some ancient ruins into a city which we shall call Inkopolis. We are secretly constructing underground domes in a valley beneath the ruins, and we will relocate the Octarians to these domes where they will be able to live peaceful lives. The settlement will be called Octo Valley."

"Thank you, sir." Cap'n Cuttlefish was dismissed. He rose from his seat, saluted and walked out.

Ammoni Shellendorf had seized the flask Cap'n Cuttlefish left on the ground in the final struggle and was studying the traces of the fluid that remained inside it.

"I thought you were a _weapons_ expert," Judd remarked as Ammoni squinted at the liquid in a test tube he held in the light.

"Believe it or not," the Horseshoe Crab answered with disbelief in his voice, "This stuff _is_ a weapon. The fluid has a strange property which makes it absorb a latent energy that's released when ink comes into contact with the ground."

"What are you gonna do with it?" the cat asked.

"First off," Ammoni began, "I'm going to make more."

Judd felt uncomfortable with this idea. "Are you sure that's wise?" he asked.

"I know what you want to say. And you can relax," his friend reassured. "I'll make it only available in small amounts at a time. That way no-one can abuse it. I'm going to rig it up to some of my weapons. Imagine the fun we'll have in Turf Wars!"

"Only some of them? Won't that be unfair toward battlers who prefer other weapons?"

"That's the best part, the energy absorbing property is easily adaptable into other devices!" Ammoni said with with glee bubbling up in his insides, "I also found this." He dug through the cluttered remains of the dismantled Octobot King and produced its unused Killer Wail. "Wait 'till you see the power in this thing!" he pointed it straight at Judd's face.

"Woah! Watch it!" the cat scrambled and tried to take shelter behind a large desk.

"Relax," Ammoni chuckled. "It's not hooked up to anything. Come on out, I've still got lots more to show you…"

As Ammoni developed more weapons Turf Wars changed forever. Ammo Knights, his humble little workshop on the first floor of the military residential complex Booya Base soon became a top class weapon shop, and the complex itself was converted into a mall where other shops quickly opened as well. Inkopolis itself grew into a great city where Inklings, Jellyfish and other creatures were free to live comfortable lives. Judd himself was given a home in a luxury apartment complex called Flounder Heights, and for nearly a full century he judged Turf Wars in skate parks, warehouses, office buildings, and on good days even from his very dwelling.

One week from the 100th anniversary of the end of the great turf war Judd received an urgent message from his old friend Sepius to meet him in Octo Valley, where the tunnel to Inkopoils began, disguised as a manhole. Judd could smell Octarian ink some distance away, but this was the norm in his current location.

"Thanks for coming," the inkling said, looking around nervously. "Did you come alone?"

"Like you asked," Judd said with some suspicion in his voice. "What did you want to talk about? And why here?"

"I need your help." The Inkling answered. "The Octarians are planning something. Something big…"


	10. Octo Valley

The city of Inkopolis – Like all cities – ran on electricity. But unlike normal cities its electricity did not come from a power plant. Rather it stored power in various buildings, and this power was generated by a special specie of electric catfish called Zapfish. There were many smaller, younger Zapfish throughout the city, and atop Inkopolis Tower – the city's tallest and most important structure – rested a gargantuan, hundred-year-old "Great Zapfish". These fish were the starting point of Judd and Sepius' discussion.

"I think the Octarians are planning to steal the Great Zapfish. And the smaller ones too."

"What makes you say that?" Judd asked

"Do you remember the Great Octoweapons from the war? I've received word of an Octarian scientist who's developing a means for them to run on Zapfish. And since the Octarians don't own any zapfish, it stands to reason they'll try to steal ours."

Judd had another question: "Received word from who?"

The old inkling glanced around nervously again. "I… have my sources." He said cryptically.

"So about this scientist…" Judd began, "Should we get the old squad back together? Cap'n Cuttlefish said-"

"No." Sepius interrupted "We can only reassemble if there's an immediate treat. The Octarians haven't done anything yet."

"And you mean to keep it that way?" Judd completed the thought.

"We need a cat." Sepius handed him a map. "This will lead you to his home. Sneak in, get the plans, and sneak out again. No one needs to hear you, no one needs to see you, you were never there."

"Sounds easy enough." Judd remarked. "I set out when it gets dark?" Judd knew scientists. When they work they work hard, and when they sleep they sleep harder.

"Let me know when you get it. We'll meet here."

Night fell over Octo Valley and a round shadow quietly jumped over a low fence. An open window was swaying lazily in the midnight breeze and the shadow slipped through the gap, struggling briefly to fit its plump body through the burglar-proofing. It silently jumped from the windowsill and landed on the floor. The smell of Octarian ink was everywhere. The shadow raised a round head and scanned the room until it found a locked drawer that looked important. It jumped onto the nearest surface and stealthily made its way to the drawer when its whiskers betrayed it and its belly knocked over a flowerpot.

The pot shattered on the ground and the shadow froze, desperately trying to look like the shadows around it. No further sounds were heard and the shadow continued its mission.

It wasn't a very expensive lock and was easily picked with two claws. The shadow rummaged through the contents of the drawer until it found what it was looking for. It rolled up its bounty and tucked it under a foreleg just as a light went on.

"What are you doing with that?!" A shocked-looking Octoling scientist stood by a light switch looking directly at an alarmed Judd who quickly composed himself and tried to look determined.

"I'm taking it." He said plainly.

"It doesn't belong to you! Put it back!" the Octoling said sternly

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Judd insisted

"You don't understand!" The Octoling was starting to sound desperate. "If those plans fall into the wrong hands-"

"That's exactly why I'm here." The cat interrupted, "To prevent another war."

Judd bolted for the window and squeezed himself out as quickly as he could with the Octoling on his heels. He struggled with a communicator as he ran and contacted Sepius.

"I got the blueprints. Expect me there in a few minutes." As he ran Judd took a detour through some intricate streets to shake off his pursuer, and arrived at the spot where Sepius was waiting.

"Here they are," Judd puffed as he triumphantly waved the rolled up sheets of paper in the air. Should I claw them to shreds?

"No!" Sepius said urgently before instantly calming down. "Give them here. I'll make sure they're… properly destroyed."

"O…K?" Judd said with some obvious suspicion, handing the plans to Sepius against a nagging better judgement in the back of his mind.

Sepius reached out a trembling hand and took the sheets from Judd. As soon as he had them he took two steps backward and his expression changed from absolutely nothing to a mixture of relief and regret. "I'm sorry." He said.

Judd's brain tried to piece together what Sepius was apologizing for just as Octavio landed between them, grabbing the plans with a malicious grin.

"Thank you, Inkling. I'll be taking these. Job well done."

"My daughter!?" Sepius said urgently.

"Your daughter is safe," Octavio answered. "She'll wake up in her own bed tomorrow morning and she won't even know she was gone."

"What have you done?!" The Octoling scientist had caught up with the cat burglar and stood frozen surveying the scene. Three gazes turned to meet his.

"Akkoro," Octavio said pleasantly, "so good of you to join us. I always knew you were holding out on me." He waved the rolls of paper beside his face.

"Those don't belong to you!" Akkoro said defiantly.

"That's not a very clever move," Octavio cautioned, "Betraying your own kind…."

"The people I work for are concerned with much greater-" Akkoro began

"Unless the people you work for are the Octarian army you are a traitor!" Octavio said stubbornly.

"I didn't come unarmed." Akkoro said, drawing his Octoshot.

"Neither did I," Octavio retorted as two Octolings came up behind him.

A quick calculation flashed in Akkoro's eyes and he bolted home with Octavio and his two henchmen behind him. He rushed inside and tried to lock the door but he was too slow and the door was forced open.

Akkoro tipped a table onto its side, ducking behind it as the ink from his pursuers splattered against it. The ink mixed with some chemicals that had stood on the table and spilled onto some exposed wires. The mixture ignited heftily and the whole room was engulfed in flames. Octavio and his henchmen fled as the roof of the house caved in on Akkoro.

Or so they thought.

Akkoro locked the trap door above him and sighed with relief. He followed a tunnel to an old subway line and threw a switch which set off another hefty explosion, destroying the passage behind him.

He dusted off his coat, picked up a bag that was hidden under a loose stone in the floor and proceeded down the derelict tunnel.

"Inkopolis, here I come."


	11. Prelude to the Heist

Judd and Sepius watched helplessly as Akkoro's house collapsed bit by bit while it burned.

"This is all my fault. I did this." Sepius said blankly.

"I'm as much to blame as you are." Judd comforted "You were forced and I didn't know any better. Neither of us could have known it would come to this."

"What do we do?" the Inkling asked hopelessly.

"We need time to think," Judd answered. "Let's get back to Inkopolis. The fire will attract onlookers."

On his way home Judd walked past an old building. Just as he was nearing the door it quickly opened and shut again as a pair of hands reached out and pulled him inside before he could react.

Judd gasped in horror when he realised he had been seized by the very same Octoling whose house he had a hand in destroying.

"I just wanted you to know I'm OK. And I'm not angry" he said. "At least, not **very** angry."

"I really am very sorr-" Judd began.

"Don't worry," Akkoro interrupted "I always knew I would eventually need to fake my death, given my allegiance."

"But… your house…" Judd stammered.

"My house was rigged to go up in flames at a mere tip of a table. I've had this escape plan at the ready for a while now. I knew I would eventually need to put it into motion." Akkoro explained.

"But what about your friends and family? Won't they be devastated if they think you've died?" Judd asked.

"No, I only have a son." The Octoling answered. "And he's known about the plan for as long as I've known I'd need it. When he finds out about the fire he'll know exactly what happened."

"Who _are_ you?" Judd wanted to know.

"My name is Callum Akkoro. I do important work behind the scenes."

"Callum?!" Judd exclaimed, "I knew I recognized you! You travelled to the past when you were a boy! I **saw** you!"

"Time travel?" Akkoro scratched his head, "I've done no such thing. Are you sure it was me?"

"It _looked_ like you, and the Octoling I saw had the same name."

"It's a family name," Akkoro interjected. "My grandfather was Callum Akkoro too. Maybe it was a distant descendent of mine? I'm afraid we're still ages from Time Travel. But never mind that. Things are about to get really bad really fast and if we don't do something about it there won't be a future to speculate about."

"What can we do?" Since Judd was instrumental in setting things wrong, he was more than eager to help set things right.

"I'm glad you asked," Akkoro said cheerfully, taking a cardboard folder from his bag and handing it to Judd. "This is everything I know about the Octarian Army. Strengths, weaknesses, design flaws and whatnot. You know the leader of the old Squidbeak Splatoon, do you not?"

"Yes, I do." Judd answered.

"Take it to him. If he can assemble a new Squidbeak Splatoon, this information should be enough to get them through Octo Valley so they can steal back my plans and destroy them."

"Destroy them?" Judd was confused.

"Yes. My superiors commissioned those plans with the intention to keep them in an archive so they could be used should Inklings and Octarians ever need to rise up against a common threat." Akkoro explained. "However, now that the Octarians have seen them I fear they could do more harm than good, and I'm certain the guys upstairs will agree."

"I understand. Steal them back, destroy them." Judd nodded. "What will you do?"

"This old building belongs to no one officially and it has been given to me," Akkoro said. "Some friends and I are going to dig into the foundation and start my new lab underneath it. It's not much but with a little love it could be quite charming." He jested.

Cap'n Cuttlefish flicked through the files while Judd caught him up with recent events.

"So that's it then?" the old Inkling responded. "Where is Sepius now?"

"He said he was going to take his family and settle somewhere else where the Octarians can't get to him as easily."

"I would recommend Calamari," the captain remarked. "You don't get much more peaceful than that."

"Won't we need him if we're getting the team back together?" Judd wondered.

"Nah, let the old codger go," Cuttlefish replied. "He's been through enough. And with Ammoni gone we have no hope of getting the old team right anyway. Sheldon knows a thing or two but he's not his grandpappy."

"So who DID you have in mind?" the curious feline wanted to know.

"I'm glad you asked…" Cuttlefish said with a twinkle in his eye.

"We're supposed to defend Inkopolis wearing these?" said a lime green Inkling girl with grey-white hair "I'm confused, Gramps: How's directing traffic in Octo Valley gonna make us accomplish that?"

"Directing traffic?" said a magenta Inkling girl with black hair, "I'm not even allowed to drive a car yet!"

"I was being sarcastic, Cal-"

"Don't forget, girls. When you're in these uniforms your names are agent One and Agent Two"

"Agent One and Agent Two. Got it," said the magenta Agent One. "Which one am I again?"

"You're Agent One", said the lime green Agent Two.

"And which one are you?" asked Agent One. Agent Two sighed.

"Now on to your weapons," said Cap'n Cuttlefish.

"That's the best thing you've said all day," said Agent Two as the suggestion of an adventurous grin played across her face and Agent One did an excited skipping dance behind her. "Please tell me mine's a charger..?"

"Yours is most definitely a charger," Cap'n Cuttlefish said with a smile. "And a roller for Agent One, of course."

"These look hardcore!" said the Magenta agent as she looked her roller up and down. "But there's something missing…"

"Wait a minute," Agent Two complained. "They have no special weapons!"

"These were made especially for missions for small groups or even solo missions," Cap'n Cuttlefish explained. "A charged special weapon draws a lot of attention, and they were made to minimize that."

"That's too bad," Agent One remarked. "I was hoping for a Bomb Rush or something."

"You and your bombs…" Agent two said, rolling her eyes. Agent One blushed with a grin almost as wide as her face.

Cap'n Cuttlefish handed each agent a communicator. "I've built myself a humble little shack right by the entrance. I will use the information Judd found and act as Mission Control from there."

"You're not coming with us?" Agent One asked with some disappointment in her voice.

"I'd love to," said the old captain, "But I can't fight like I could back in the day. This old ink sack ain't what it used to be. But not to worry. I'll be watching every step of the way. Now if you're both geared up and ready it's time to get moving!"

It was not long until they reached Cap'n Cuttlefish's shack. "If you need me I'll be right here," he assured. "Do what you need to do and come straight back to me, alright?"

"You can count on us, Gramps!" Agent Two said confidently. "OK, Agent One. You ready to show these Octarians how the Cuttlefish Clan does it?"


	12. The Heist

Octo Valley was not ready for a small-scale invasion. The two agents stormed the Octarian territory rapidly and unobserved, making their advance in portions. Agent One would charge ahead with her roller while Agent Two hung back and sniped anything that tried to approach her magenta cousin. As soon as Agent One secured an area Agent Two would quickly ink a path to her and they would begin the process anew. With Cap'n Cuttlefish giving advice from his shack they were basically unstoppable. It wasn't long until they infiltrated the Octarians' facility, found the right cabinet, and made off with the stolen blueprints. Little did they know they were already too late, and even though the blueprints were quickly ripped to shreds once the Agents reunited with their grandfather, the modifications were already made to the Octoweapons and all they still needed were the Zapfish.

"I'd say celebrations are in order." Cap'n Cuttlefish said when his two Granddaughters made it back to his shack

"I know a great place in Arowana Mall!" Agent One said as they made their way back to Inkopolis. "They make the best-"

The group fell silent as their eyes met the familiar sight of Inkopolis, but something familiar was notably missing. Something important.

"What are we thinking?" Agent two asked the three-unit Splatoon.

"We're thinking this should be in the news." Cap'n Cuttlefish answered.

"So now what?" Asked Judd as he sat on Akkoro's desk.

"It looks like the effort to steal back the plans were too late," Akkoro said. "Someone will need to steal back the Great Zapfish, and the smaller ones, too. And it's more than likely the Great Octoweapons will be ready for them when they get there."

"So who did you have in mind?" Judd asked. "The agents?"

"No," Akkoro answered. "I think we need a change of plan to keep the Octarians guessing. The agents should remain in Inkopolis and keep an eye on the electricity supply. As the smaller Zapfish are recovered they'll know where to apply them most effectively. As for the mission itself, we need someone new. I trust Cuttlefish's judgement will help them find the right person."

"And what about me?" Judd was eager to lend a paw.

"Our agent will need a little extra firepower. You know where Ammo Knights is, right?"

Bessie the Inkling was finally old enough for Turf Wars. She eagerly made her way to Inkopolis, wondering what city life would be like. With her brand new Splattershot Jr she inked her path ahead, getting the hang of both the humanoid and squid forms she recently gained control over. Swimming through ink was fast and exciting and she could even swim up walls and through gratings.

"This doesn't look right…" she said to herself when she came across what appeared to be a crashed flying saucer lying in the middle of the path. She looked it up and down but it didn't seem to be anything she'd learn a great deal about just by poking it with her shoe, and so she decided to press on.

When she finally arrived in Inkopolis Plaza she gazed in wonder at the biggest screen she had ever seen. It flashed some advertisements for the stores she would certainly frequent in the future.

Just then the advertisements were interrupted by a news report by Inkopolis' own newscasters and pop stars, the Squid Sisters Callie and Marie – who were actually not sisters at all, but cousins – it told of how something called the great Zapfish was stolen from Inkopolis Tower and how a crashed UFO might be connected to the theft.

 _I_ _ **saw**_ _that UFO_ , Bessie thought _maybe I can help?_

Judd stormed into Ammo Knights carrying a large bag.

"Sheldon! I need as many special weapons as this bag can hold!"

"Oh, hello, Mr. Judd," Sheldon was polite first and everything else second. "It's been a while. But unfortunately I can't sell special weapons separately. The rules of Turf War clearly state-"

"This isn't for Turf Wars," Judd interrupted. "Do you remember your old grandpappy's war stories?"

"Oh, yes," a look of Nostalgia spread across Sheldon's face. "Dear Grandpappy. I could listen to his stories for hours. How could I forget? The way they battled the Octarian armies with their superior weaponry and their giant machines…"

"Well unless someone does something soon those giant machines could make a live appearance right here in Inkopolis!" Judd brought Sheldon back to Earth. "An agent of ours will be venturing into Octo Valley soon, and they're gonna need all the help they can get."

"Octo Valley?" Sheldon repeated. "Octarian ink is extremely dangerous to an Inkling. I hope you have the Hero Suit."

"We do," Judd affirmed.

"Well in that case I'm afraid Krakens, Inkstrikes and Killer Wails are out of the question." The Horseshoe Crab said. "You see, my Grandpappy invented the Hero Suit to repel everything Octarian, that's what makes it so effective at protecting its wearer from Octarian ink. And since the Killer Wail, Inkstrike and Kraken are primarily Octarian inventions they unfortunately aren't compatible with the hero suit. Although I _am_ working on a new Kraken formula especially for Octo Valley missions."

"I'm sure the remaining special weapons will do fine."

"Sadly the Echolocator won't work either." Sheldon continued. "I designed it especially for turf wars, and its normal operating conditions are suited for up to four targets at a time. Its safety factor makes it able to handle even the twelve practice dummies in my shooting range, but the Octarian Army is so vast that the Echolocator's sensors will overload and it will be useless. You're more than welcome to everything else, though" He added.

"Thank you." Judd conceded.

"There **is** some good news, however." Sheldon said. The Hero Suit is not only an excellent piece of armour, but it also has the potential to become even better. There's a special defense upgrade specifically for the hero suit which is super easy to use. I'll let you have as many of them as you can carry.

"Great! Thanks a lot, Sheldon!" Judd said gratefully, lifting the bag which Sheldon had stuffed full. "I'll see you later."

"Best of luck!" Sheldon called after the cat as he left.

There was a strange box in the plaza Bessie didn't quite understand. It seemed she had to decide if she was planning to get fit or rich in the year that followed. But it gave her a free T-shirt so she just picked a side for the sake of free clothing.

Bessie had tried her hand at some turf wars. She wasn't terrible at it and earned some good money. Still she couldn't help but think back at the report about the stolen Zapfish she heard that morning, and she decided to poke around the plaza for some clues. She noticed a strange elderly-looking Inkling poke his head in and out of what she thought was a manhole cover and decided to investigate. She gathered her courage, held her nose and jumped in.

The next moment Bessie found herself not in the sewers but in an unfamiliar valley filled with dark grey walkways and strange looking devices. This was how she met Cap'n Cuttlefish, and how her adventure began.

Octo Valley was littered with crates. They were mostly used to hold supplies like food or weapons, and once their contents were removed they were just left to stand where they stood. None of the Octarians gave them a second look and that made them excellent hiding places for both valuables and people. Judd was tasked with hiding useful supplies for Cap'n Cuttlefish's latest recruit and he quietly slipped from crate to crate without anyone noticing him, leaving canned special weapons as far as he went. Now and then Judd would find a rolled up piece of paper in one of the crates, thinking whatever Octarian hid it there would soon be back for it, he left it in place and moved on to the next one.

Eventually he squeezed into an empty crate that wasn't empty at all, but rather held an Octoling hiding in ambush. Judd jumped the way startled cats do, hitting his head on the ceiling of the crate with a thump. The Octoling boy started and quickly turned to face the intruder.

"What are you doing here?" the Octoling boy asked almost involuntarily. At a second look he seemed not to be hiding in ambush, but hiding in something like fear or exasperation.

"I'm… here for a friend. What are **you** doing here?" Judd asked in return.

"I'm… hiding in ambush. Yeah. I heard there was an Inkling coming." The boy answered unconvincingly.

"You don't look it," Judd quipped. "Where's your weapon?"

The young Octoling sighed. "I'm hiding so I don't have to fight. I **hate** it here. I wasn't cut out to be a soldier."

"What's your name, kid?" Judd asked kindly.

"Callum Akkoro Junior." The inkling answered militaristically and automatically. "Callum." He said again.

 _Callum!_ Judd's mind quietly blew in the back of his head. "Well Callum, I think you and I both know you don't **have** to be a soldier."

"Of course I do." Callum said miserably. "We're Octolings. It's why we're born and it's what we're raised for. 'Us or them'" he added with unhidden annoyance in his voice.

"Are you sure about that?" Judd asked. "I know your father. I know he's dead and yet he's…" Judd leaned closer and whispered: "… _not_ dead…"

The boy's expression changed slightly and he moved a bit closer to Judd so he could lower his voice. "My dad's one of the lucky ones. He works for people who can help him. He got away because he's smart."

"And you can get away, too. What if I told you I've seen a glimpse of a future where you're free to live in peace with inklings and you even had an Inkling girlfriend?" Judd persisted.

Callum looked at the ground. "I'd say you were just as crazy as DJ Octavio," he answered. "Was she pretty..?"

"Have you _seen_ Inkling girls?" Judd asked rhetorically. "They're _all_ pretty! And this girl likes you so much that she'd risk her life in Octarian territory for you. Tell you what, if this lone Inkling soldier in Octo Valley can take on and beat the entire Octoling army and recover the stolen Zapfish, would you **then** feel safe living as an Inkling? Knowing that if the Octarians ever came looking for you you'd be surrounded by super soldiers who could protect you from **anything**?"

"If he can do all that, sure." Callum said, not sounding particularly convinced.

"Great!" Judd said with a smile. "Then we're in agreement. Now you might want to find another hiding place. It won't be long until this Octarian crate is soaked with Inkling ink, and that tends to make them blow apart. Now I'd appreciate if you can keep this little chat between the two of us, Okay?"

The two started to go their separate ways when Judd called back at Callum.

"By the way," he said. " _'If_ **she** _can do all that…'_ "


	13. Agent Three

"You mean to tell me Cuttlefish has _another_ inksquirt running around here in Octo Valley?" Octavio asked a nervous looking Ocrtotrooper.

"Y… Yes, sir," the trooper stuttered. "And she's already beaten the OctoStomp."

"Singlehandedly? Those weapons are meant to take on entire armies!" Octavio ranted.

"It seems she's getting some outside help," the soldier reported. "Some of the troops heard her talking to someone as if through a communicator."

"Cuttlefish…" Octavio grumbled. "Find his radio frequency and let me know as soon as you do."

Bessie was rounding up Zapfish by the hour thanks to the scattered Special Weapons from Judd and the advice from Cap'n Cuttlefish. Agents One and Two kept a close eye on the power supply in Inkopolis and thanks to Bessie's unfailing contributions it did not look like the city was going to feel the effect of missing the Great Zapfish anytime soon. The operation was running smoothly, but the Octarian Army was not about to run out of countermeasures.

"Where's my next mission?" Agent Three asked into her communicator.

"Blackbelly Skatepark," her Mission Control answered from his shack.

"But that's back in Inkopolis!" her voice sounded puzzled.

"The blighters have been deployed up there. I think they're trying to recapture some of the recovered Zapfish. Be careful."

Sure enough, a troop of highly aggressive Octolings had invaded Blackbelly Skatepark and set up a Spawn Point that was powered by one of their stolen Zapfish. Bessie had to use all her cunning and strategy to get past them, winning the Zapfish in the process. Back in Octo Valley it was not long until she locked horns with another Great Octoweapon, the Octonozzle, and again she made short work of it.

"How is one Inkling girl tearing my precious Octoweapons to shreds?!" Octavio raved. "Someone please tell me we've found Cuttlefish's radio frequency!"

"I believe we have, sir!" said an Octotrooper behind a desk. He was working a device that had a speaker, a microphone and an adjustable antenna.

"Give me that." Octavio said and spoke into the device.

"This is DJ Octavio. Cuttlefish, I demand that you cease interfering with our plans or the consequences will be dire. Do you copy?"

"Gghhhhgh communicator gghhhhgh malfunctioning…"

Octavio could hear Cuttlefish's unmistakable voice coming from the other side of the communication channel, but the signal was unsatisfactory and the Octarian could only make out a word here and there amid large amounts of static. Cuttlefish did not sound phased, or like he even knew who was talking to him.

"Can you trace the origin of the signal?" Octavio asked the trooper seated at the desk.

"We already have," the trooper replied, "He seems to be operating from a small shack outside the city."

"Perfect," Octavio said. "Ready the Octobot King. Let's go and pay him a visit."

"Gramps, this is Agent Two." Said the green agent.

"And Agent One" the magenta agent added.

"The power supply in Inkopolis is stable." Agent Two reported.

"Yeah, Agent Three seems to know her stuff!" Agent One added. "When this is all over we should really throw her a party or something."

"Agreed," Agent Two affirmed. "Make sure you tell her that for us, will you?"

Agent Three had just dealt with the Octowhirl when Cuttlefish heard movement by the shack's front door. He had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next. Octavio caught him unawares and a struggle ensued. Cuttlefish was overwhelmed, subdued and taken away, leaving Bessie without a Mission Control. She knew something was wrong but also realized her best hope was to press on, trying to capture as many Zapfish as she could. Thankfully she did not need to stumble around in the dark for long: While Cap'n Cuttlefish was keeping a watchful eye on Octo Valley, Judd was hiding in a nearby tree, keeping a watchful eye on Cap'n Cuttlefish. While Cuttlefish was being dragged away the old inkling quickly seized a scrap of paper and hurriedly scribbled a short note on it with the little ink his ink sac held at the time. Judd scrambled down from the tree, grabbed the note and raced back to Inkopolis as quickly as his thin limbs could carry his round body.

"Agents!" he cried when he reached Inkopolis News Studio. "Your grandfather needs your help!"

"Is he struggling to pick out Streamers for the party?" Agent One asked. "Tell him he can't go wrong with yellow, since that's the colour of the girl of the hour."

"This looks a little more serious than party arrangements," Agent Two noted. "Tell us what happened."

"The Octarians have him!" Judd blurted out and the agents gasped. "Octavio himself showed up and grabbed him!" He handed the agents the SOS note and they quickly read it and looked at each other.

Agent One darted for the closet and took out the Hero Roller. "Agent Two! Get your Charger. We're headed for Octo Valley right now!"

"Bad idea," Agent Two protested. "Octo Valley's taken a level in dangerous since they started up those giant machines. I say we take over mission control and let Judd take over managing the Zapfish. Agent Three can handle the Octoweapons, so we'll let her do the hero work."

"I'm in!" Judd agreed and the new arrangement was in effect. The agents learned to work Cuttlefish's communicator and introduced themselves to Agent Three. Agent Three continued her work in Octo Valley with her two new guides.

"I see you only got your first Splattershot a few days ago." Agent One remarked over the communicator as she skimmed a file on the desk in front of her.

Agent Two muted the communicator. "Where did you get that?!"

"Gramps' cabinet. He keeps all kinds of information in there." She said with a smirk.

"Put it back!" Agent Two reprimanded.

"Oh come on," Agent One pleaded. "Let a girl have her fun…"

"Agent One! Agent one?" Agent Three was not aware that the communicator was muted.

"We're still here." Agent two reassured.

"I said you were right. I'm still a little new to Turf Wars"

"So you're a Marie fan?" Agent One continued.

"What makes you say that?" Agent Three asked.

"Well I see here that you voted "Get Rich" for the upcoming Splatfest" Agent one said.

"Oh, that." Agent Three explained: "I just really want to get rich in the new year. Plus I liked that I got a tee out of the deal. I actually think Callie's much prettier."

Agent One giggled and quietly pulled her tongue at Agent Two.

"Look alive, Agents." The green cousin brought the trio back to the situation at hand. "It looks like wo found the Great Zapfish, and we all know what that means…"


	14. Cuttlefish Saved

"So… this thing will take me to the place where Cap'n Cuttlefish is being held?"

Agent three was standing near an Octarian aircraft which seemed to beckon as it hovered quietly in front of her.

"Don't board it just yet," Agent Two cautioned.

"I'm with Agent Two," Agent One agreed. "It's obviously a trap"

"Give us a few minutes while we come up with a plan," Agent Two continued.

 _What if we don't_ have _a few minutes?_ Agent Three asked herself. She gave it a moment of thought and boarded the ship, which took her high into the air. It arrived at a vast collection of long walkways and to the yellow agent's surprise the Great Zapfish was floating right in front of her, like she could just walk over and grab it.

Somewhere in the distance a tied up Cap'n Cuttlefish called out: "Hmm? Agent Three?! It's a trap! Don't approach!"

"I told you so!" Agent One chimed in.

"I can't believe you even bothered to show up!" Agent Two mentioned.

DJ Octavio flew in aboard his vastly strengthened Octobot King. He seized the Great Zapfish and the controls came to life. The craft he rode now was leaps and bounds beyond the vehicle from a hundred years before which cut out before it could get serious. The battle that unfolded started slow but Octavio's attacks gradually grew more severe as it wore on, all the while droning the aged Octoling's music from rows of speakers that dangled as far as the eye could see.

"Not too late to think of a plan…" Agent Two said to Agent One.

"Do you have one? Beyond Agent Three shooting away at whatever that thing spews?" Agent One asked.

"Not really," Agent Two answered. "But I know someone who dealt with that thing before…"

"I'm glad you called me," Judd said as he surveyed the battle from the screen in Cuttlefish's shack.

"Do you know how to beat it?" Agent One asked.

"When we faced the Octobot King a century ago it overloaded itself before it could bring out the big guns," the cat began. "That doesn't seem to be the case here, because its energy source can power an entire city and the more time your agent spends fighting it, the more reckless Octavio gets with his weapons. It's possible that its circuits could fry if its power becomes too great, but the music he's blaring seems to protect it from that. It appears that the music strengthens the circuits' capacity to resist strain. We also need a way to get Cap'n Cuttlefish free from the ropes, but even if Agent Three could push Octavio back far enough to reach him, I don't think she'd have time to get him loose."

"So what do we do?" Agent Two asked hopelessly.

"That one Squid Sisters song," Judd began again. "Calamari Inkantation. It's a modernized version of an ancient shanty by the inklings of the Calamari Region. The first time I heard it I was barely conscious, and even then I couldn't help myself. I got to my feet and started dancing almost uncontrollably."

"Interesting story," Agent Two replied, "But what does Calamari Inkatation have to do with this battle?"

"If you were to override the radio signal to all those speakers and play _that_ song instead, we'd kill both birds with one stone: Cap'n Cuttlefish would dance himself free and Octavio's weapon would no longer be safe from overload. We'll just Need Agent Three to give it everything she can and if Octavio's cockpit takes enough damage it will eventually blow apart."

"That sounds worth a try!" Agent Two said. "Gramps should have the album around here somewhere."

The three of them searched the small shack and quickly found Cap'n Cuttlefish's copy of the Squid Sisters' first CD. A few moments later they managed to override Octavio's sound and the rest of the fight went exactly as they had planned. Octavio was beaten, subdued and captured and Cap'n Cuttlefish was rescued.

It was the middle of the night when the Zapfish was returned to Inkopolis Tower, and even though they knew no-one was watching, the Squid Sisters did a special news broadcast and blasted their ballad, Maritime Memory, in celebration. Sometime later Cap'n Cuttlefish and the three agents were seated at an establishment in Arowana Mall that served chips late at night. Judd silently looked on from the rafters.

"It was quite an adventure," Cap'n Cuttlefish said shortly after their food arrived.

"I'll say," Agent Three affirmed as she shook the salt over her plate. The three of us make quite the team, don't we, Callie?

"We sure do." Agent One answered. The rest of the table looked at her in silence for a small eternity. Agent Three cracked a smile and almost burst out laughing.

The Magenta agent tried to figure out why everyone was staring at her. A moment later her eyes widened behind her sunglasses.

"Heeeey..! You just called me 'Callie'!" she exclaimed

"Yeah. I figured it out along the way," Bessie chuckled.

Callie removed her beanie and sunglasses and Marie her mask and hat. With their identities known by everyone at the table there was no point in wearing disguises. "Yup. It's us." Marie conceded.

As Judd looked down from his hiding place his mind quickly fitted some puzzle pieces together: _Callie, Marie and Bessie! It's_ _ **them**_ _! And Callum makes four!_ He quickly climbed down from his perch and slipped out of the diner, making his way back to Octo Valley. It wasn't long until he tracked down his Octoling acquaintance.

"So the little agent actually did it!" Callum said after a quick update from Judd. "I guess a deal's a deal. You really think I could live a happy life? With the enemy?"

Judd answered with a twinkle in his eye: "You don't have to be an enemy if you know the right anemone…"

A nervous looking Inkling walked into the late night diner in Arowana Mall. He wasn't sure if his disguise was fooling anyone, but as soon as he and Bessie locked eyes he no longer cared. At that moment his life changed forever.

It was a number of months later. Bessie was as good as a member of the Cuttlefish Family and just as close to her Octoling boyfriend Callum. She knew he was an Octoling but loved him all the same. Splatfests had come and gone and the upcoming one was to be the last.

Judd was sleeping quietly in his usual spot when a nervous looking Inkling in passing flashed the cat a wink and slipped him a note:

 _Dad wants to see you._


	15. Akkoro Calls in a Favour

Judd made his way to the building where Akkoro had snatched him off the street a few months earlier. To his confusion the door from which the arms had sprung to grab him was no longer there. In fact, the building seemed to have no door at all. Judd prodded a paw at where the entrance ought to have been.

"Go round the back. Crawl past the dumpster and get into the rubbish bin." The voice was barely audible but unmistakable.

"Doctor Callum?" Judd said to no-one.

"Sh-! The rubbish bin. Just do it." the voice whispered.

Judd followed the mysterious instructions and soon found himself in Akkoro's underground laboratory.

"Nice place," Judd said in admiration and bewilderment.

"I'm glad you could make it." Akkoro began. "Do you remember the day we met? I'm not the type of octopus to hold grudges but I'd imagine it's safe to say you owe me."

"Fair enough." Judd said understandingly. "What do you need?"

"Ironically," Akkoro continued, "I need you to steal something for me."

"Who… am I stealing from?" Judd said cautiously.

"D'Alfonsino," Akkoro said plainly.

"The museum?!" Judd exclaimed. "Why would you make me steal from a museum?"

"Relax," Akkoro comforted. "I'll take the blame for the theft."

"No one knows you exist," Judd retorted.

"If this gives off any trouble they will." Akkoro promised. "It's nothing of value anyway. At least the researchers don't think it is. Do you recall the news story about the Sunken Scrolls they discovered that turned out to be fake? The people I work for have reason to believe they're of some form of importance, and I need to have a look at them."

"All right," Judd accepted. "So what's the plan?"

Akkoro handed Judd a cat-sized wristwatch and a floorplan of Museum D'Alfonsino with arrows and notes scribbled on it.

"I've analyzed the guards' patrol patterns. This map will show you exactly where to be at what time. Whenever the watch beeps, look at the map and find the instruction for the given time. I'm also giving you a two-way radio. If you run into any unforeseen trouble let me know and I'll try to provide a little extra help from outside."

Judd skimmed the map. "I should be able to handle this." He said.

"Great," Akkoro answered. "Keep your wits about you and your senses sharp. Good luck."

Night had fallen and the museum was dark and silent. A few Jellyfish guards were patrolling the many corridors and display areas. Two glowing cat-eyes surveyed the flash light circles as they traveled to and fro. The watch beeped (at a volume that only a cat could hear) and Judd sprang into action.

 _Cling to the wall above the back door. When it opens let yourself in and hide under the table_

The door swung open below Judd and a guard came out. The cat dropped to the floor without making a sound and sprinted for a table that was set with a kettle, coffee powder and sugar.

 **Beep!  
** _The next guard will refill the kettle. Go through the other door while his back is turned_

When Judd heard water running he slipped through the open door in front of him and found himself in a short corridor. The map had an arrow pointing to a gap between a flower pot and the wall with text that read ' _wait here'._

Another guard walked past Judd looking to get a refill of coffee.

 **Beep!  
** _Go to the next room and climb into the ventilation shaft. Follow the blue line._

On the map was a blue line drawn along the ventilation shaft showing Judd where to go to reach the storeroom. The storeroom held old promotional banners, damaged decorative objects, and anything the museum did not deem worth displaying

 **Beep!**

 _The scrolls are in a case in the large cabinet, second drawer from the bottom. Take the case and go back to the ventilation shaft. Follow the red line._

Since the coffee room now held two guards waiting for the kettle Judd could not go back the way he came. The map showed him another way out. Judd crawled through the narrow tunnel, his night vision allowing him to see perfectly in the darkness.

 **Beep!**

 _The window on the opposite side of this room is not locked. Make a break for it and slip out before the guard reaches you on his patrol route._

Judd ran for the window as fast as he could. He slipped, dropping the scrolls. They hit the floor and flew from the case with a rattle that echoed down the corridor. Judd went pale under his fur.

"Akkoro! Akkoro, help!" he whispered into his radio. "I'm down and the guard is coming! I need to pick up the scrolls but there's no time! Do something."

"Just a moment," Akkoro said.

"Akkoro!" Judd hissed desperately. Even if Judd evaded the guard's line of sight, the scrolls would still be found lying on the floor. They would be taken back to the storeroom and Judd would have no way of getting it back.

The guard rounded the corner and the illuminated circle from his flashlight sped across the floor straight toward Judd. Just as it was about to cast itself on the helpless cat a light from a room behind the guard switched on by itself.

"Who's there?" the guard turned and sped toward the room where the light was coming from. Judd sighed with relief and picked himself up. One of the scrolls had unrolled when it struck the floor and Judd briefly glimpsed at it before rolling it up again. He stuffed the scrolls back into their casing, opened the window and slipped out. The raid was a success.

"Nice little stunt with the lights." Judd was back in Akkoro's laboratory.

"Thanks. Amazing what we can do with computers these days. And good work getting the scrolls. Now let's see them."

Judd handed over the case containing the scrolls. "I think I understand why everyone thinks they're fake, and I also understand why they're important. I had a look at one when they fell."

Akkoro opened up the case and spread the scrolls out on the table. They depicted Callie and Marie, the Squid Sisters, along with some ancient looking text.

"These two girls," Judd explained. "They answer everything. They're Cap'n Cuttlefish's young ones. We might think the scrolls are fake because they weren't born yet, but I **saw** them many years ago. They had a time machine. Your boy Callum was their pilot, and that Agent-Three-Bessie girl was with them, too."

"I see," Akkoro said after making a careful study of the scrolls. "These are indeed genuine. So it looks like I'll need to build a time machine. Only trouble is it could take me decades just to develop the theory."

"That's where I come in," Akkoro interjected. The two conversationalists were startled to find that their discussion had been crashed by what looked like a second Akkoro.

"Where did you come from?!" the original Akkoro said with astonishment.

"Why, right here," said the new Akkoro. "And I'd like to present our time machine." he gestured toward the very same device Judd had seen years ago. "I'm here from the future to help speed things up."

"Wait, what now?" Judd was confused.

"I've come to lend you the time machine," said the new Akkoro. "I also have the blueprints here so you can start building it and lend it to your past self once it's completed. Hand me the Thinking Cap, will you?"

"The finalized blueprints for a fully functional time machine?" the original Akkoro said with astonishment. "Where did you get them?"

"Same place you're getting them right now. You're welcome." The new Akkoro answered with a grin. "Although I DO need a small favour," He continued. "Give me a lift back to my own time, would you?"


	16. To Live in the Present

As the sun was setting Judd sat on his usual perch in Inkopolis from where he gave advice and small rewards to determined Inklings. As luck would have it the four future time travelers walked past Judd just before he decided to call it a day.

"If it isn't agent Five," Judd simply couldn't resist.

"It's Agent Three." Bessie shrugged and carried on walking with her friends.

"Don't worry, kid. You'll get it." Judd said quietly when they were out of earshot.

"So I was thinking," Judd said to Akkoro sometime after he sent the young ones into the past. "When they come back, would it be possible for me to borrow the time machine to go back and say hi to an old friend?"

"I don't see why not," Akkoro answered.

"That's great!" Judd exclaimed. "Thank you so mu-"

"Hang on there, Judd," Akkoro interrupted. "I said it was possible. I didn't say I would permit it."

"Bu… But why not?" Judd asked, his proverbial bubble burst. "What's the harm?"

"I'll tell you what the harm is," the Octoling said gently. "You lost this old friend of yours a long time ago, didn't you?"

"I did," Judd said plainly.

"And he was obviously very dear to you, or you wouldn't want to go back and see him."

"He was," Judd answered.

"He was human, wasn't he?" Akkoro guessed.

"Yes," Judd confirmed somberly.

"I **could** take you back to go see him. It would be easy. In fact it would be cruel of me to say no." Akkoro explained. "But his world is doomed. You'd have to part with him again inevitably and lose him all over again, and that's even crueler. You would simply **have** to go see him again. Why wouldn't you? But the more you go back and visit him, the more you'll want to go again and again. Eventually you'll no longer have any moments left where you wouldn't already have visited him. The only way you could still see him is to bring him back to our time. And why wouldn't you? He's your friend, you can't just let him die. But he'll have to die eventually. He's not ageless like you. So the only way to keep from losing him would be to go back and give him the same eternal youth you have. So the two of you would live out eternity, literally best friends forever. But you're not the only one who lost someone dear. Soon everyone who has lost someone will come to know how you managed to bring back a loved one, and they will want the same. Can you imagine a world like that? Where everyone who had lost someone could bring them back and have them around forever? There would just be so much wrong with it."

"That… makes sense," Judd conceded, staring at the floor.

"You're an old cat," Akkoro added. "You've had many friends come and go over the centuries. You've learned to take it in your stride. You know better than anyone that death is a part of life. Enjoy what you have right now. Every day is a new day. Take your losses as they come and move along"

"You're right. I will. Thank you," Judd said solemnly, no longer keen on his idea.

Bessie greeted Cap'n Cuttlefish and left his shack to return to Inkopolis. Between the two of them they had polished away every last one of his biscuits over laughs and tears, but she was not finished with her emotional visits for the day. She made a quick stop by her house to pick up a rectangular object wrapped in brown paper and left for Flounder Heights.

Judds doorbell rang and he opened his front door to find Bessie on his doorstep.

"Hi, kid. What can I do for you?" he said with a smile.

"So um…" Bessie began. "The other day you called me Agent Five. I didn't understand it at the time but I do now. You knew about my time travel adventure and that it was me fighting with you in the turf wars. And I've now been there myself which means I know about it, too, so… I guess we're friends now"

"Fair enough," Judd said, still smiling.

"I have something for you," she said and handed him the rectangular parcel.

"I found it in Octo Valley," she said as Judd carefully tore at the paper. "I thought you should have it so I had it framed."

Judd's eyes widened as he recognized the newspaper clipping from that day all those centuries earlier. Jordan's and his own faces staring back at him in black and white like the visit to the photo booth had happened just yesterday.

The weight of a large cat hug-diving Bessie at full force nearly knocked her off her feet. Judd purred loudly as he embraced the small Inkling who had just given him back a piece of his old friend he had lost ages ago.

"Is young Callum busy?" Judd asked as he wiped his eyes when he was back on his own feet again. "Give him a call. I'm treating the both of you to some Arowana Mall chips and fishcakes."

The cat locked his front door as he left for the shopping district with his new Inkling friend Bessie. On top of his fireplace he left the framed article alongside his copy of the picture of himself with Sepius, Cuttlefish, Ammoni and his old Inkling friend Callie-Marie.

THE END


End file.
